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By Dana Kazel
Over the last three construction seasons, St. Louis County Public Works has replaced 17 bridges throughout the County, while MnDOT replaced an additional four bridges in neighboring Carlton County.
The 21 bridges were awarded as one large Bridge Bundling project contract as part of a new Federal program to see if cost savings could be achieved by bundling similar projects together. The final cost for all 21 bridges is $25.33 million, an estimated savings of 10-15% compared to if each project had been done separately.
St. Louis County leaders joined with representatives from MnDOT and contractors on the project on Wednesday to celebrate the completion of the 21 bridges, which all were rebuilt over the 2022-2024 construction season. The final bridge in the Bridge Bundling project, the West Skyline Parkway bridge leading to Spirit Mountain in Duluth, was completed and re-opened last month.
The joint project was possible thanks to $10.25 million in Federal funding from the Competitive Highway Bridge Program. Working with MnDOT and MnDOT State Aid, the county was able to secure additional federal, state and local funds to cover the remaining costs. No property tax levy dollars were needed for any of the bridge replacements.
"These new bridges are safer for our citizens, as well as the many industries that rely on our infrastructure for transporting their goods," said Commissioner Keith Musolf, who chairs the County Board's Public Works Committee. "But they're also now built to withstand the extreme weather events that we have been experiencing."
County leaders expressed thanks to LHB, which served as primary consultant on the project; and to Redstone Construction and KGM Contractors who served as contractors. They also thanked federal and state leaders for funding assistance.
"This was the largest road and bridge construction contract we've ever had in St. Louis County," said Matt Hemmila, St. Louis County Public Works Deputy Director. "It was a mountain of work for our staff to deliver, not just during the three construction seasons, but also for three years before that to line up funding and manage all of the other details, while also handling the work of our normal construction seasons."
A video showing before and after views of all 21 projects can be viewed on the County's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X85VGUo4VUE
